How to Keep Ticks (and Other Arthropods) Away Naturally?<br /><br />Insect repellent products are generally products that are applied to the skin, clothing or sprayed into homes, yards or on surfaces to discourage insects, namely arthropods, from landing on such surfaces or areas. These products help in controlling bites and outbreak of diseases such as Lyme disease, malaria, West Nile Fever, etc.<br />Arthropods—including mosquitos, ticks, lice, sand flies and fleas—serve as vectors, or hosts, that carry and transmit infectious pathogens into other living organisms. While there are several chemical products—such as DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) or Permethrin—may effectively keep insects at bay, the ingredients in such products usually cannot be used on very young children because of potential harmful side effects. In addition, environmentalists point out the such chemicals can contaminate our water and soil supply, negatively affecting waterways and wildlife. According to the EPA, the potential side effects of DEET include seizures and insomnia. Permethrin is classified by the EPA as a likely human carcinogen, and is extremely toxic for cats (causing feline permethrin toxicosis) and aquatic life. <br />Among the effective natural insect repellants or insecticidal applications are oils of neem, citronella, eucalyptus and cedar wood. At Dr. Desai Soap, products using these oils are available in bar soap, body wash, body cream, body spray as well as in a specially formulated line for four-legged family members such as dogs, cats, and horses.<br /><em>Dr. Desai Soaps offers its our own line of natural (DEET-free, permethrin-free) outdoor protection, called Neem Shikakai. For more information, call 908-236-6742 or visit DrDesaiSoap.com.</em>

<h1 class="entry-title">Tewksbury's Desai Farms plans open house in Bernardsville</h1><h5>Published: Sunday, June 10, 2012, 10:41 AM Updated: <span class="updated" title="2012-06-10T14:51:52Z">Sunday, June 10, 2012, 10:51 AM</span></h5><div class="author_info"><a href="http://connect.nj.com/user/njohunterdon/index.html"><img alt="Hunterdon County Democrat" height="40" original="http://media.nj.com/avatars/1828654.png" src="http://media.nj.com/avatars/1828654.png" width="40" /></a><span class="author_byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="fn" href="http://connect.nj.com/user/njohunterdon/index.html"> Hunterdon County Democrat</a></span><span class="source-org vcard" style="display: none; visibility: hidden;"><span class="org fn">Hunterdon County Democrat</span></span></span></div><div class="box_bottom_left"><!-- --></div><div class="box_bottom_right"><!-- --></div><div class="entry-content"><div class="entry_widget_large entry_widget_left"><span class="adv-photo-large"><img alt="Desai livestock" class="adv-photo" height="376" original="http://media.nj.com/hunterdonnews_impact/photo/11158960-large.jpg" src="http://media.nj.com/hunterdonnews_impact/photo/11158960-large.jpg" width="380" /></span></div><div class="entry_widget_large entry_widget_left"><span class="adv-photo-large"><span class="photo-data"><span class="caption">Some Desai livestock</span></span></span></div><div class="entry_widget_large entry_widget_left"><span class="adv-photo-large"><span class="photo-data"><span class="caption"></span></span><span class="photo-bottom-left"><!-- IE6 HACK --></span><span class="photo-bottom-right"><!-- IE6 HACK --></span></span></div>Put on your overalls and join N.J. Audubon and Desai Farms of Tewksbury for a fun, old-fashioned day down on the farm. The event will be held June 23, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at N.J. Audubon Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, 11 Hardscrabble Road, Bernardsville. Desai Farms will bring their alpaca, miniature horse, and goats. It will offer goat milking demonstrations throughout the day, and visitors can try it as well as carding wool, spinning and weaving. Learn from Dr. Desai about the benefits of Dr. Desai Soap made from goat milk. It will be available for sale.<br />For the past five years, Desai Farms has been a “green” farm, producing the majority of its energy needs through solar power. It produces goat milk soaps and alpaca wool winter apparel from their livestock. <br /> The cost is $5 per car, but in the spirit of our “green” organizations, the cost is free for those arriving in “green” transportation — an alternative car (hybrid car, smart car, electric car, etc.), by people power (bicycle, roller blades, on foot, etc.), or by carpooling (in any type of car with four or more passengers).</div><div class="clear"><!-- --></div><div class="tags"><span>Related topics:</span> <a href="http://topics.nj.com/tag/hunterdon-county/index.html">hunterdon-county</a>, <a href="http://topics.nj.com/tag/tewksbury/index.html">tewksbury</a></div>

<h3 class="article">Triclosan, found in many personal and home products under EPA investigation.</h3><span class="dropcap">T</span>riclosan has been used for its antibacterial properties for more than 30 years, starting out as a surgical scrub. Since then, this synthetic, broad-spectrum, antimicrobial agent has become increasingly popular in personal hygiene products. Unfortunately, triclosan has also recently drawn a lot of regulatory, congressional, and media scrutiny.<br />Rep. Edward J. Markey (D. Mass.) has sent inquiries to both the EPA and the FDA because of his concern that antibacterial products are not only ineffective, but cause risks to human health and the environment. He received responses from both organizations indicating that additional research is warranted on the negative health ramifications of daily contact with the agent triclosan. (For more detailed information on this, see the Chemical and Engineering News site: <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/88/i16/8816news1.html"><span style="color: #075899;">pubs.acs.org/cen/news/88/i16/8816news1.html</span></a>.)<br />In Pesticides and You, the author of The Ubiquitous Triclosan: A Common Antibacterial Agent Exposed, Aviva Glaser stated, “Studies have increasingly linked triclosan to a range of health and environmental effects, from skin irritation, allergy susceptibility, bacterial and compounded antibiotic resistant, and dioxin contamination to destruction of fragile aquatic ecosystems.” (See <a href="http://beyondpesticides.org/pesticides/factsheets/Triclosan%20cited.pdf"><span style="color: #075899;">beyondpesticides. org/pesticides/factsheets/Triclosan%20cited.pdf </span></a>for Glaser’s entire fact sheet.)<br /><div class="pullquote">Triclosan is not only found in personal hygiene products, but is contained in toothpaste, cosmetics, deodorant, and shows up under other names in products such as countertops, kitchenware, clothing, and plastic toys.</div><br />(For a complete list of products that contain triclosan visit the U.S. Department of Health &amp; Human Services and reference the Household Products Database at <a href="http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgibin/household/%20brands?tbl=chem&amp;id=201"><span style="color: #075899;">householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgibin/household/ brands?tbl=chem&amp;id=201</span></a>.)<br /><br /><div class="article"></div>